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Richie Rich (1980 TV series)
Richie Rich was an animated TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired for four seasons on ABC from November 8, 1980 to September 1, 1984. When aired on ABC, the Richie Rich segments were aired as part of The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show from 1980 to 1982, The Pac-Man/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show from 1982 to 1983, and The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show from 1983 to 1984. Show history The character lineup was mostly the same as in the comic book series, but some minor exceptions apply. Richie's father was named George, as was revealed in a Treasure Chest segment "Silence is Golden" from Episode 3 in the first season. But the biggest change was that Richie and his friends appeared to be more mature, about 12 years old, and wore a different wardrobe as opposed in the comic book series. Instead of the traditional waist coat, red bow tie and blue shorts from the comic book series, this animated version wore long blue pants, and a red sweater with a big golden letter "R" on its front. This series does not display actual episode titles in the title cards like in the Scooby-Doo, Little Rascals, Pac-Man and Monchhichis title cards. Many of the segments were based on comic book stories published within the year prior to production, but the storylines involved at least one twist - possibly to avoid being a blatant copy of the comic book story and also to avoid legal trouble with the original publisher. During the first two seasons, each episode had one segment each of Riches, Treasure Chest and Zillion Dollar Adventures, plus there were two Gems segments per episode. But in Season 3, one Gems segment was dropped, while Riches and Treasure Chest and Zillion Dollar Adventures segments were still produced. It is believed that the dropping of one Gems segment was to make room for a 30-second Little Rascals skit, or possibly lower revenue due to ratings decline. By Season 4, only Zillion Dollar Adventures segments were produced - it was evident that ratings had drastically fallen during Season 3, possibly due to the inclusion of The Little Rascals, which had low viewership. The show aired for the last time on ABC on September 1, 1984. The syndicated rerun package have aired sporadically on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the past. Before Cartoon Network launched, reruns have aired as part of USA Network's Cartoon Express block. The series has aired overseas in at least one foreign country. In 2015, the network Pogo in India aired Hindi-dubbed episodes. Many segments are available for viewing on the Boomerang app, including "Video World" (which was not part of the syndicated rerun package), but are viewable only within the United States. Segments These are the segments used in the series: *'Richie Rich Riches': 7-minute segments which center around a robbery or an event which could impact the Rich mansion or Richie's family. Dollar the Dog appeared in all of these segments. *'Richie Rich Gems': 30-second skits based on one-page stories. *'Richie Rich Treasure Chest': 3-minute segments usually based on five-page stories, and usually center around Dollar the Dog or Cadbury. *'Richie Rich Zillion-Dollar Adventures': 11-minute segments usually involving an event that could impact Richville or the world, or on rare occasions, a mystery-solving plot. Dollar the Dog appeared in all of these segments. Trivia *The series was originally planned for a September 1980 launch, but was delayed until November 8, 1980 due to a lengthy Hollywood actors' strike, in which voice actors were also involved. **It wouldn't be the only time a season of this series would be delayed due to a strike. A ten-week animators' strike delayed the premiere of the third season by two weeks - launching on September 25, 1982. Voice cast *Sparky Marcus as Richie Rich *Nancy Cartwright as Gloria Glad *Dick Beals as Reggie Van Dough *Christian Hoff as Freckles Friendly *Stanley Jones as Mr. Rich and Cadbury *Joan Gerber as Irona and Mrs. Rich *William Callaway as Professor Keenbean *Janet Waldo as Mayda Munny *Frank Welker as Dollar the Dog, Dr. Disguise *Robert Ridgley as The Collector Unconfirmed voice cast This information will be updated once clarification becomes available. *Patty Maloney as Deborah Grant (uncredited) List of episodes Episode guide is a work in progress. Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 No Riches, Gems, and Treasure Chest segments were produced for this season, which is a sign of imminent cancellation.